Rumored rhythm game collaboration teams up the genre’s biggest icons

Well, this is a nice, juicy rumor for all of us sentimental fans of the rhythm genre. A reported leak from Rice Digital shows some sort of collaboration between genre icons iNiS and NanaOn-Sha.

For those unfamiliar with the names, iNiS is the studio behind the beloved PlayStation 2 cult-classic Gitaroo Man as well as the Nintendo DS games Elite Beat Agents and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! On the other side, NanaOn-Sha practically invented the rhythm genre with its hit franchises Parappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy.

As for the leak itself, Rice Digital shared a description as well as an image for a game called “Project Rap Rabbit” that clearly shows the headwear of both Parappa and Gitaroo Man.

Last week, a reliable source informed me of a new game he heard was in production – a collaboration between two devs he knows I am a huge fan of. I asked him for a little more clarification, and this morning he came through.

Never thought I’d see this one

It’s currently unknown if the characters will make an appearance or if this new Project Rap Rabbit will be an entirely new franchise. Parappa the Rapper is clearly the more recognizable of the two rhythm franchises, and it is owned by Sony. NanaOn-Sha can’t use the character in a new game unless it has Sony’s backing, and I don’t see Sony’s logo anywhere on the image.

However, even without the characters, both iNiS and NanaOn-Sha are pillars of the rhythm genre, and this project promises to, as translated from the Japanese above, “Make music games great again.”